Super ZZT

Super ZZT
Developer: Tim Sweeney Publisher: Epic MegaGames Platform: DOS Released in US: 1991 This game has debugging material.

Super ZZT is like ZZT, but super. It introduced scrolling, hints, larger rooms, new gameplay elements, and more colors (without fan-created tooling) to the ZZT saga. However, despite all this, it only enjoyed a fraction of the popularity of its predecessor, something that is commonly attributed to the lack of a user-accessible editor.

Engine-wise, Super ZZT is a close derivative of ZZT v3.0.

Cheat Codes

Much like its predecessor, Super ZZT has a fairly easily-accessible cheat console which can be activated simply by pressing the ? key (or | on the menu screen) and typing in any of the following commands; however, like ZZT v3.0, they have to be input in lowercase:

• zap - Clears the four spaces surrounding the player. Be warned that this removes everything in those four spaces, including objects critical to the game, which can (and usually does) render games unbeatable.
• keys - Gives the player all 7 keys.
• gems - Gives the player 5 gems, but not the corresponding 5 health units one would receive by picking up the gems in-world.
• health - Gives the player 50 health.
• time - For time-limited boards, adds 30 seconds of extra time.

As in ZZT, typing in + or - followed by the name of a flag will set or clear that flag. Some cheats were added or modified in Super ZZT:

• ammo - Gives the player 20 ammo units.
• z - Gain one Stone of Power.
• noz - Lose all Stones of Power.

It is also possible to name the Stones of Power by setting a flag that begins with the letter Z (for example, +ZSTONES).

The torches and dark cheats are not available, as the functionality pertaining to them has been removed.

Engine Changes

ZZT featured official documentation of the engine's functionality and scripting language. Super ZZT...didn't, thanks to the official editor not being publicly released.

New Scripting Commands

Super ZZT added a few more undocumented commands and features to the engine and code interpreter:

• /[direction] [count] - The original shortcut form /[direction] only enabled you to make an object #GO one space at a time. With this syntax, it can be moved a number of times in one direction.
• ?[direction] [count] - The original shortcut form ?[direction] is the same as above but for #TRY. However, a bug in the interpreter actually makes this equivalent to /[direction] [256-count].
• #GIVE and #TAKE now work with a new item class called Z, which represents the Stones of Power.
• Upon entering a board either via a passage or by traveling off the edge of a board, the :ENTER label is broadcast to everything on the entered board.
• Pressing H during gameplay will broadcast the :HINT label to everything on the board. This is useful for making pop-up menus.
• #DIE respects the tile underneath the object, as opposed to in ZZT where it always left a black empty space.
• #BECOME [color] OBJECT no longer erases the code of the object.

New Elements

• Floors - a new decorative walkable element.
• Water N/S/W/E - replacing the old Water, moving the player in the direction pointed to by the arrow.
• Lava - a functionally but not visually equivalent variant of ZZT's original Water.
• New types of creatures:
  • Roton - new type of enemy.
  • Dragon Pup
  • Spiders and Webs
• Pairer - an element with no implementation provided.
• Stones of Power - a new type of collectible.

Changed Elements

• While ZZT grants 5 ammo per element, Super ZZT grants 10 ammo per element.
• Entering passages no longer leaves black empty spaces on the board at the location where you entered.
• Forest now becomes Green Floor when stepped on, and has a new walking sound.
• Gems give 10 health per, unlike the original ZZT's 1.
• Bullets, Stars, Blink Rays, and Text elements have changed internal element IDs.

Removed or Revamped Features

• Torches and Darkness are removed, presumably due to the smaller viewport.
• Sharks are removed, presumably due to removal of old-style Water.

Debug Mode

Using +DEBUG on the cheat console will activate debug mode, which is similar to the one in ZZT. The only difference is that memory usage information is now shown in the top-left.

Hidden Editor

Unlike its predecessor, Super ZZT has no apparent editor option and seems to only play its built-in games. However, the game actually contains a direct successor of the editor found in the last game. Unlike ZZT, this editor was likely not intended for public use - many of its features are undocumented and it still uses the prior game's resolution.

To access it, load the game from the command prompt with the /E parameter passed, then press E while on the menu screen.

New features include the following:

• F4, F5 - additional category tabs with new elements.
• F6 - toggle between text entry and drawing mode.
• F7 - type Text by inputting the hexadecimal key code of the character, rather than the character itself.
• F8 - change the tile's foreground color in the extended color selector (as in ZZT, C can also be used).
• F9 - change the tile's foreground color intensity in the extended color selector.
• F10 - change the tile's background color in the extended color selector.